To think that people who have "protein powders" to be healthy are sadly misguided?

[ultimus]

I've just seen a 'Lean in 15' recipe on FB that has 'protein powder' as one of the ingredients. I winced! It sounds disgusting.

I read of personal trainers advising people who train to drink a 'protein powder' drink afterward to be healthy. Famous dieticians advocating the use of these powders in recipes as part of 'eating clean'.

But look at the ingredients:

Aspartame, sucralose, maltodextrin, soy lecithin, xanthan gum, flavourings.

How on earth can these powders be advocated as a 'clean' or 'healthy' way of living?

I thought personal trainers advocated it because it helps build muscle?

I agree it has no place in a new year recipe. Unless it's in Runners Weekly or whatever.

Yeah it helps repair the muscles

Used it in marathon training after a training run

What's your diet consist of then op

Yes it might help build muscles but it isn't 'healthy' or 'clean' - look at the ingredients list - it's full of rubbish!

And people like Joe Wicks are advocating it as a 'healthier' alternative to (for example) flour - I don't see how that it can possibly be so.

I'm veggie and I'd rather eat meat than drink one of those concoctions. Ew.

You can buy protein powders without all the junk and sweeteners. My ds has a medical condition and we have had to supplement his diet with protein powder at times. Just google it and you will find lots.

High protein diets aren't very good for your body.

Daily mail female section is currently promoting a book where they took a veggie in decent shape, let himself go a bit, then made him pretty much just eat meat and protein for three months and got expensive personal trainers. The after photo doesn't look like a body many women would be interested in.

Steak and eggs for breakfast every day with a protein shake doesnt sound good to me.

which list?? There are so many!!! You can get good and bad ones, shop around! It's processed, of course it's going
To have preservatives etc in it! Most people who have just worked out need to get protein in them quickly and don't have time to get a good meal containing the nutrients they need

There's a small window of time from working out to when you ideally need to consume the protein. Roughly half an hour I think!

It helps to repair muscle. My DH trains very hard at the gym. He knows what he is doing.

Ps you can get many different types. My DH is vegan so has a very well made protein powder that is minimally processed with much less 'bad stuff' than the usual protein powder.

I suppose as you don't know anything about it it's easy to make ignorant comments.

"eating clean" is a bit of a catch-all nonsense phrase anyway, it means whatever people want it to mean. Protein powders for hard-core paleo types seems to me like a fudge, for example. There is a lot of really ropey dietary advice out there, and some people's obsession with "clean eating" borders on orthorexia.

That said, most people don't eat enough protein, and there are powders available without all of the crap, so it can be a very sensible supplement to your diet. Sure, it would be better to eat a chicken breast, but in my case, I use protein powder in a smoothie at breakfast, when I would rather stick a fork in my eye than eat chicken. So it's a better choice than cornflakes.

This may sound stupid, but if you are exercising to the extent that you need to repair muscle, aren't you doing it wrong?

I have told my teenager to avoid them and eat eggs and other less processed high protein food.

The powders are on my do not touch with bargepole list.

My view is that the majority of people should be getting all the protein they need from food. There's no need for them to be drinking protein shakes, so in that respect YANBU.

Having said that, there will be a small percentage who train so hard that their body needs so much protein they can't get it any other way than in shake form.

I know I struggle to hit my daily protein target on MFP. It doesn't mean I need to start drinking protein shakes though!

GruntledOne when you exercise, even moderately, you create micro tears in your musck

**muscles, your body then repairs them. This is how muscles grow stronger and is a normal process. Protein provides the "building materials" for this process

A dietician told me that most people actually eat too much protein. You don't need that much of it.

And eggs are fantastic - unprocessed, cheap and good for you

I have a personal trainer - but he doesn't advocate these things unless one is doing serious sport specific training - which I am not (just general fitness post 40 etc).

Anyone who thinks it is of benefit without doing the heavy duty exercise that goes with it is deluded.

Oh FGS will people please stop saying 'clean' in relation to healthy eating? It's completely meaningless.

There's nothing worse in a protein shake than in any other pre made food. Have a look at a flavoured yoghurt pot for instance, or a bought cheesecake, or any one of the thousands of products on the supermarket shelves. So unless you've never in your life eaten a meal that haven't prepared yourself from raw ingredients, you do better to educate yourself about the fundamental nature and chemistry of food, ingredients and what additives actually are and do. Because your OP betrays the quite large misunderstanding for all to see.

I have a soft spot for Marks daily apple paleo website but I did wonder if he was going to respond to the news that Otzi the preserved alpine man had tonnes of medical issues!

""but if you are exercising to the extent that you need to repair muscle, aren't you doing it wrong?""

Repair is perhaps the wrong term to use, Recover, would be easier to understand, for non trainers. Muscle soreness happens after the workout, as does the muscles getting bigger. Pre and Post nutrition, helps this process.

I used a Vegan Protein Powder, it doesn't have 'crap' in it, in a blended mix with Coconut Water, Banana and Kale, it was lovely.

I've had Pneumonia so haven't been doing weights, I can't wait to get back into them.

There's a big difference to going the gym and Training goals, those doing the latter, will find PPs, useful.

I agree that those who are starting out on their New Years Resolutions don't need to be using PP, yet.

I use Ground Almonds as flour, as well as other things, I don't know anyone who uses PP instead of Flour.

I mix with a lot of Paleo, Clean Eaters, MMA fighters.

You can get protein powders that are just/ say defatted powdered soy bean/ hemp seeds. So your comment is a bit like saying, "they say have tomato sauce with lentils for clean eating but Heinz Tomato Ketchup is full of sugar," OP

Disgruntled one, if your muscles don't require repair after exercise then youa re doing maintaince work and you won't improve your base level of fitness through that activity. If you've ever felt a bit achy after exercise, that was because you'd damaged your muscles a bit. The repair will have been stronger than the damage, so yor strength I'm that muscle will have improved afterwards, though obvs you would have to make regular use if that improvement to maintain it.

For every piece of dietary advice you will find another that contradicts this.
Too much protein, more fats, less fats, more protein. it is very confusing.
I am wondering when the whole paleo thing will get blown out of the water.